myasthenia
Học thuậtThân thiện
A patient with myasthenia gravis struggles to hold a book open due to arm weakness.
Definition
- Noun:
- Any muscular weakness: "myasthenia" refers to a condition or symptom of abnormal weakness in the muscles.
- A specific chronic autoimmune disease: More specifically, "myasthenia" is the common name for myasthenia gravis, a chronic illness characterized by progressive fatigue and weakness, often in muscles of the face, neck, and limbs, caused by impaired communication between nerves and muscles.
Usage Examples
Noun (General Weakness):
- The patient's myasthenia made simple tasks like climbing stairs very difficult.
- The doctor noted myasthenia as a key symptom in the initial report.
Noun (Specific Disease - Myasthenia Gravis):
- She was diagnosed with myasthenia and began treatment to manage the muscle fatigue.
- Myasthenia often affects the muscles controlling eye and eyelid movement.
Advanced Usage
- "Myasthenia gravis": The full medical term for the specific autoimmune disorder. While often shortened to just "myasthenia" in context, the full name is used for formal diagnosis.
- Myasthenia gravis is typically managed with medications that improve neuromuscular transmission.
Variants and Related Words
- Myasthenic (adj): Relating to or suffering from myasthenia.
- The patient exhibited classic myasthenic symptoms.
Synonyms
- Muscular weakness: A general term for the primary symptom.
- Asthenia: A broader medical term for weakness or lack of strength.
A patient with myasthenia gravis struggles to hold a book open due to arm weakness.
Noun
- any muscular weakness
- a chronic progressive disease characterized by chronic fatigue and muscular weakness (especially in the face and neck); caused by a deficiency of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junctions